Another wonderful piece. I was blissfully unaware of the dredging method of harvesting scallops. Now that I know (thank you, Julia), I feel less sad about the general lack of availability of scallops here in Portugal, which I think may be cultural. Now I just have to hope that the razor clams I so enjoy are not dredged up the same way.
Sad to say, the majority of razor clams are also dredged, to the point where the longueirão, also known as navalhas or canivetes, has all but disappeared. But a good fishmonger should tell you honestly how any of the seafood sold is caught.
Very interested in this story Julia. I have boycotted divinely scrumptious scallops for several years now, not wanting to inadvertently support dredging; knowing more facts and the reality facing the divers who hand pick scallops is illuminating. We endeavour to buy only line caught or hand harvested seafood or, more fun: catch our own :)
Sadly there are fewer and fewer scallop divers in the UK. At the best high-end restaurants, scallops will be hand-dived. It's always worth asking, though, to be sure. A
Another great post. You have an affinity — we all should — for people like Guy who are determined to do things the ethical way, the right way. And it’s a damn shame that economic forces make their kind of commitment nearly impossible. I’ve never eaten a fresh picked sea scallop but now I want one!
Thank you! The difference between a scallop cooked from dead to a fresh hand-dived one is like the difference between a young unpasteurised cheese (banned in so many US states if under 60 days old) and industrial cheese, genuinely free-range eggs (rare in the US) and cage-raised, chicken from free-roaming birds and...and...The list is endless. It's time we supported en masse those trying to bring us the best quality food from creatures who have lived the best possible lives and accept that 'quality' for them and us doesn’t come cheap.
I totally agree with you Julia and I like the comparison with a young unpasteurised cheese. I was fortunate to eat Guy's scallops many times at restaurants around the UK and their sweet, yet with an edge of pure ozone plump freshness was incomparable. Why the hell the govt (who haven't a clue or interest in food) didn't impose a ban on dredgers 12 km from coast like Norway, I don't know. So sad for Guy and his team. Do you know what he will do now?
Another wonderful piece. I was blissfully unaware of the dredging method of harvesting scallops. Now that I know (thank you, Julia), I feel less sad about the general lack of availability of scallops here in Portugal, which I think may be cultural. Now I just have to hope that the razor clams I so enjoy are not dredged up the same way.
Sad to say, the majority of razor clams are also dredged, to the point where the longueirão, also known as navalhas or canivetes, has all but disappeared. But a good fishmonger should tell you honestly how any of the seafood sold is caught.
Very interested in this story Julia. I have boycotted divinely scrumptious scallops for several years now, not wanting to inadvertently support dredging; knowing more facts and the reality facing the divers who hand pick scallops is illuminating. We endeavour to buy only line caught or hand harvested seafood or, more fun: catch our own :)
Sadly there are fewer and fewer scallop divers in the UK. At the best high-end restaurants, scallops will be hand-dived. It's always worth asking, though, to be sure. A
Another great post. You have an affinity — we all should — for people like Guy who are determined to do things the ethical way, the right way. And it’s a damn shame that economic forces make their kind of commitment nearly impossible. I’ve never eaten a fresh picked sea scallop but now I want one!
Thank you! The difference between a scallop cooked from dead to a fresh hand-dived one is like the difference between a young unpasteurised cheese (banned in so many US states if under 60 days old) and industrial cheese, genuinely free-range eggs (rare in the US) and cage-raised, chicken from free-roaming birds and...and...The list is endless. It's time we supported en masse those trying to bring us the best quality food from creatures who have lived the best possible lives and accept that 'quality' for them and us doesn’t come cheap.
I totally agree with you Julia and I like the comparison with a young unpasteurised cheese. I was fortunate to eat Guy's scallops many times at restaurants around the UK and their sweet, yet with an edge of pure ozone plump freshness was incomparable. Why the hell the govt (who haven't a clue or interest in food) didn't impose a ban on dredgers 12 km from coast like Norway, I don't know. So sad for Guy and his team. Do you know what he will do now?
I'm sure he'll do well at whatever his next adventure is
Very evocative story Julia. Funnily enough there is an article in The Guardian today on new ethical ways to catch scallops by using disco lights. Also reported here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165783622001114
Karma! Thanks for the tip - I'll take a look.